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... time zones.
Another large swathe of central Asia is – rather unwillingly – incorporated into today's China, which has extended its clout in a westward direction with the result that the Chinese ...

... round together. Under a leafy tree a large group was sitting drinking beer brewed from cereal, served in calabashes; nearby, they sold candid white butter and honey. I was surprised to see that Chinese-made ...

... of nearly 5000 km of national roads, it was recently remade by a Chinese company according to the original design.
A little over the bridge is the Melka Kunture archaeological site. I started from the ...

... dusty building site in the hands of a Chinese company, its workers set to beat record times in the completion of the contract, welding by day and night iron rods into armatures for the mushroom-shaped ...

... flinch from the duty. I sang an Italian pop song from the 60’s that a Chinese friend had once liked and I thought it might meet their taste. It was a success. But the best part was of course the Dong girls ...

... it was partly the fault of the Chinese quality umbrella that decided to break down and leave me in the lurch just when I needed it most. I had to strive to put it up and keep it open, and then suddenly ...

... into the big tourist attraction of the area, a perfect Chinese-style theme park. Coaches from cities as faraway as Guiyang and a large number of private vehicles gave me a hint about the possible numbers ...

... had the gou Chinese character printed on the front to advertise they offered dog meet. One even sported a setter painted on the sign, if words were not telling enough. I hadn’t yet recovered from the surprise ...

... a few impressive bridges showcased the achievements of Chinese development, even in this poorest of regions. The most remarkable was a suspension bridge, held by two parallel rows of red-painted cables, ...

... designed to receive large numbers of visitors, but the gigantic parking lot and the big visitors centre showed they were not running at full capacity. All were Chinese.
The caves were huge. I spent ...

... Qingyan had not been quite smooth. The village turned out to be a horrendous tourist trap in the best Chinese style, swarmed by hordes of visitors and consisting of an uninterrupted line of trinket shops ...

... I had by then come to terms with Chinese cities. On my first visit I had found them disappointing with their clusters of tattered tile-lined apartment buildings and soaring tower blocks, so anonymous that ...

... that feeds on Communist principles. And here I was at the place where crucial events took place, together with enthusiastic Chinese tourists brushing up on the official version of their history books ...

... through me and pervade me of a contemplative mood.
It was a work of nature of the sort that the Chinese particularly cherish. They appreciate, exhibit and collect strangely shaped pieces of rocks, ...

... a good shower at the hotel to wash away all the tiredness.
I like the way the Chinese use the verb “play” to mean visit, enjoy a place, spend time together. For example, in order to know about the attractions ...

... the wind looking vaporous even in the distance, and occasionally creaked at the call and beckon of the wind.
The place was peaceful, very unlike the average Chinese tourist attraction swarmed by crowds. ...

... spring, not without having to overcome some wavering, but in the end giving in to the need of the cultural challenge that came from continuing learning Chinese. After that time I had luckily recovered ...

... from Chinese factory outlets are advertised by the shouting vendors, their voices sometimes outstripped by the blaring amplification of street preachers.
If you’re hungry, food is not lacking, but again, ...